


That Holidy Feeling

by PastelWonder



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2016-01-15
Packaged: 2018-05-14 02:55:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5727094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PastelWonder/pseuds/PastelWonder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She held up the plate again. "I just want something that says, Guess what gang - you know how I've always picked the wrong guy at the perfect time to self-destruct? Well, now I've picked the right guy at the wrong age! Spoiler alert: it's someone you know!"</p>
            </blockquote>





	That Holidy Feeling

A jazz instrumental of _White Christmas_ crooned over the department store's speakers as Buffy lead him down another aisle. The merchandise was displayed in decadent vignettes above the shelves - miniature replicas of tables set with silver tea services and lavish place settings, capped with dramatic poinsettia centerpieces.

 

He folded gracefully over the handle of the shopping cart and sighed.

 

"Okay!" Buffy held both dinner plates in front of her, their garish patterns of roses and Japanese cherry blossoms facing outward. "Which ones?"

 

"Which ones what?" Giles asked, perplexed. This game was so tiring.

 

Buffy rolled her eyes and gave him a look that plainly said, _Are you really that clueless?_

 

"Which _china set_ , Giles."

 

Her tone irritated him tremendously. Or perhaps it was frenzied chaos of Macy's at Christmas-time.

 

It was probably both.

 

"Why are we purchasing china? I thought we came to this god-awful place for bath rugs."

 

Another eye roll. "For Christmas dinner," she huffed, as if explaining it to him for the hundredth time. "We need special plates for special occasions."

 

"Why?"

 

"Giles!" She stamped her foot, _Why are you being so difficult?_  "Pick a plate."

 

He lifted his chin, eying them beneath the rim of his spectacles. "Alright - neither."

 

The corner of her mouth pulled to the side in a frown. "Neither, huh? Ok... what about this one!"

 

She held up a plate covered in scrawling French script.

 

"Why in the world would we want those?" His nose scrunched in distaste. "Is that meant to be clever - that, that -" He waved his finger at the French handwriting.

 

"It's... fancy." Her arms went limp at her sides. "Gi-iles..."

 

And now the whining. Brilliant. "What?"

 

"Everyone is coming for Christmas and I want it to be-" She looked around the aisle helplessly. "Special."

 

"Doesn't this time of year, by its very nature, lend itself a-" He made a vague gesture. "Specialness?"

 

"But this year is kinda... extra-special." She glanced up at him through her lashes.

 

He rubbed his forehead with his thumb, sighing. "How so?"

 

She grew shy, examining her shoes as she murmured, "It's our first Christmas as... you know. And everyone is coming over..." She held up the plate again. "I just want something that says, Guess what gang - you know how I've always picked the wrong guy at the perfect time to self-destruct? Well, now I've picked the right guy at the wrong age! Spoiler alert: it's someone you know!"

 

He huffed a startled laugh at that, slipping his hands into his pockets and propping his foot an the bottom rail of the shopping cart.

 

She looked so pretty, cradling the plate to herself in one hand as she picked at the end of her ponytail with the other and chewed her lip.

 

"Darling," he leaned in over the basket, softening his tone and ducking his head to catch her eyes. "I don't think there's a china pattern in this world that will make this any less awkward."

 

It was her turn to snort. "What if the napkin rings are pewter?"

 

He shook his head. "It won't make a difference."

 

Her eyes narrowed playfully, corners of her lips quirking as she fought a smile. "Is this one of those things where you're trying to seem all rational-ee, and you're really just too cheap to buy new plates?"

 

"A ploy?" he offered helpfully.

 

"Yeah! One a'those ploy-thingies."

 

She is incorrigible, his Buffy.

 

His Buffy.

 

He waved his hand, _To hell with it._ "Buy whatever you like."

 

"How enigmatic of you," she smiled, delighted as she went back to perusing the place settings.

 

After a moment of confusion, he hedged, "I think you mean magnanimous..."

 

"I mean-" She didn't look up. "Zip it or we're going to  _Linens_."

 

He dutifully shut his mouth.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Your comments and kudos are always appreciated.


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